Delonghi ESAM3300 Magnifica Super-Automatic Espresso Machine

This item may currently be in stock at your local Costco warehouse for immediate purchase at a cash and carry price.
The DeLonghi magnifica super-automatic espresso/coffee machine has a direct to brew system with thermo block technology that provides excellent heat distribution and it’s removable for easy cleaning. The beans are ground instantly to ensure the freshest espresso or coffee. The grind settings allow you to adjust the fineness for all types of beans, so you can always have a consistent, fresh and aromatic espresso or coffee. It has a double boiler with new stainless steel piped espresso boiler- no longer wait between espresso and steam. With the improved stainless steel piped aluminum boiler the water heats faster and us more durable. Other highlights include an automatic decalcification indicator lights that lets you know when it’s time to clean the machine, a 3 hour auto shut off for safe operation, a two separate easy-to-use control dials that allows you to easily make adjustments to coffee strength and brewed amounts, an instant reheat function to ensure ideal temperature for brewing.
Features:
Direct brew system
Conical burr grinder
Double boiler
Instant reheat function
Patented cappuccino system frother
Decalcification system
Removable 1.8 liter water tank
Removable used coffee container and drip tray
Cup warmer
Coffee strength and quantity controls
Coffee bean container capacity
One to two cup selector
3 hour auto shut off
Height adjustable coffee spouts
Wattage: 1350
Unit dimensions: 11” W x 15.25” D x 14.38” H
Weight: 23.15 lbs. per unit
MODEL: ESAM3300

Faulty Product

"I received this product. It would not work. I called Delonghi and they wanted me to take it to be repaired.....NEW.....I don't think so. Took it back to Costco....excellent customer service....got full refund. Bought different product."

THE ABSOLUTE WORST!!! Stay away from it

Pros: it is quiet

Cons: everything about it

Model Number: MODEL: ESAM3300

"I have purchased over 7 different Super-automatic coffee makers for myself and friends.

I just recently purchased this one for a replacement. This absolutely makes the worst coffee you can imagine. I have no idea how people are buying this and giving it good reviews. I imagine the price point is encouraging people but fact of the matter this coffee maker does not make coffee any better than your $25 drip machine."

Worked Well - Then OK - Then Stopped Working

"I have been using the same high quality coffee from La Colombe for the entire time that I owned this machine - which was 9 to 10 months.

I felt that coffee taste was somewhat inconsistent as time went on. The trey would get filled with pucks after every 4 or 5 espressos made - kind of annoying - but not a big deal. And then there was some minor leakage and coffee grinds in the interior. And then one day trey would not go back in.

Luckily, Costco return policy is great! So I took it back.

I am not sure that you can get a quality fully automatic espresso maker at this price point. I switching to semi-automatic."

Delonghi Customer Support Disaster

Pros: when it works fresh and delicious coffee.

Cons: customer service is a nightmare.

"I loved the machine -- until it stopped working. Delonghi's customer support thus far has been atrocious. My first attempt to call customer service left me in the hold queue for half an hour until I finally gave up and took the "leave a message" option. I called back later and left it on speaker until someone picked up.

The representative told me the problem sounded like air in the water line and offered troubleshooting advice. Though I said I had already tried troubleshooting, she told me I should try it 4 or 5 more times and call back if that didn't solve it. I dutifully tried 6 more times and called back. Delonghi said it would have to send out a shipping kit so I could send it in for repairs. Okay.

That was February 4. The shipping kit didn't arrive until February 8 and when I called today (February 22) to ask for a status, I was told that I needed to call the repair shop it had been shipped to directly, as Delonghi doesn't keep track of these things. Fortunately, the rep was at least able to give me the name and number of the place it had been shipped to. Had to leave a voicemail there, too. God knows when I'll ever get my machine back."

temper mental...

Pros: great coffee when it works

Cons: temper mental, stops working and has to be returned

"This product is extremely temper mental. When is makes coffee, it is great, but we have had it break twice in 6 months and luckily Costco still had them in stock so we could return them. We have followed all the instructions, but we have had the tamper/press clog and it just stops making espresso. We have had the water light come on, taken it out to refill, and put it back (properly) and the light stays on even after multiple resets and will not make coffee.

We just got our third one, if this one breaks we are done with this brand. For the price and quality of it working, it is a bit pricey."

Did "OK", but returned it.

Pros: good coffee, fully automatic

Cons: dumped coffee on the inside, puck drawer full light on after only a couple

"It started out ok. So it was a bit noisy....there are not too many ways to grind beans quietly if you are an automatic espresso machine, at least not at this price point. Coffee was good enough, although it's as if sometimes it didn't grind enough coffee, as it came weak sometimes. Puck Drawer Full light came on before it was full, as the pucks stacked up in the bin, so that was annoying. Eventually, it started "spilling" coffee on the insides of the machine. All of this added up to "take it back, let's try something different."

Makes great coffee, questionable reliability

Pros: makes great coffee

Cons: not very reliable, coffee sprouts are loose, takes too long for machine's rinse cycle, noisy

"This is my second unit because I had to return the first one to Costco due to reliability issues. It makes very tasty coffees and is easy to use. The problems I have observed are: coffee sprouts are not tight and will get loose after several weeks of use, it takes too long for machine to go through the rinse cycle before it's ready for use, it's not very reliable, and a bit of noisy. With that said, it is still one of the better coffee machines out there. I have already returned 3 other units from another manufacturer."

Great Little Machine - but not the best

Pros: good cup of coffee

Cons: two shot setting yields two relatively weak shots.

"I bought this machine after spending a week in the Netherlands where they had a nice Jura super-automatic machine. This was/is a great value overall over the Jura, but definitely isn't "the best" out there.

The product brews a mean cup of coffee, but I've always had problems adjusting the quantity to provide me with 2 strong shots of espresso. I find them to be somewhat weak, so I generally have the dial turned to a small quantity with a high strength, yielding a single shot of espresso for each push of the "double shot" button. Your experience may vary depending on your taste, and the beans you use.

The first machine I bought was problematic (didn't work.) and a conversation with their (helpful) support indicated a bad part. Unfortunately, it was faster (and easier) to just swap out the new machine than to have them repair/replace parts. Advance replacement would be nice, or at least a not-as-slow-process for that stuff.

The machine requires decalcification periodically - it's a cheap (you need to get the solution) and painless process - and one that all superautomatics have to go through to keep the boiler working properly.

From Costco this is a good deal, keep your receipt and if the machine isn't working right just take it back - don't bother with Delonghis customer support."

It's actually OK! Maybe even better than OK...

"My old espresso machine started to go and I panicked. I use a machine hard, and I wanted one that made really good espresso and decent + Americanos.

At first, I was skeptical. I hadn't ever read anything very encouraging about DeLonghi machines. So I bought one thinking, "What's the worst thing that can happen. If it's a bust, I'll take it back."

At first, there were some issues. But I called DeLonghi and got some help with some minor adjustments that made all the difference in the world.

I wanted a machine that would allow me to control the milk steamer. The problem with Jura is you have to use their milk pitcher, and while you can program how much, how dry, % of foam, etc., I just wanted to quickly and effectively steam my own milk. The steam on this machine is impressive. I can steam a large stainless pitcher for 3 or 4 lattes faster than I can steam enough for one latte with my old one.

The taste and crema I get with a shot of espresso is great. And the coffee tastes great, too, which is surprising. The settings don't allow you to raise the brew temp, and it brews a bit on the cool side for me. (I do use espresso beans, and think regular coffee beans might be a little bland with this machine, even using a very fine grind and maximum coffee per pull.)

That said, I must admit I am impressed with the taste of this coffee. Even my husband, who never wanted to learn how to use an espresso machine, is happily making his own Americanos every morning. And I got to get rid of his big, funky coffee maker that was cluttering my kitchen counter tops! (WIN, WIN, WIN!)"

Great coffee while it lasted.

Pros: great coffee easy to use

Cons: broke within a month

Model Number: Delonghi ESAM3300 Magnifica

"This machine makes excellent coffee, but it didn't even last a month. Within a month of normal use a stone in the coffee beans blocked the coffee grinder. Called the manufacturer and was given two options, take it to one of their shops for free repair, or they would send me a shipping label to send back to them to get it fixed within 10 days and they will fed-ex back to me. I just took it back to Costco and will be ordering a new one, I do hope the second one last longer. I decided to order the same machine because after intense online research it's one of the bests and DeLonghi has excellent customer service and 2 year warranty. Just hope I have better luck the second time around."

Great overall but hard to clean wand

Pros: price and reliability., delonghi is a classic, makes a great coffee, easy to clean everything except milk wand

Cons: cleaning milk frothing want

Model Number: esam3300

"This is a really great value overall and works well. Make a great espresso. The milk frothing wand however is difficult to clean requiring disconnecting plastic pieces that have a tight "o" ring seal. If you can live with that, it is fantastic value for a top notch espresso maker. Great purchase overall. If you are debating whether owning a semi-automatic espresso maker is worthwhile consider the economics. It is only about 12cents/cup when ground from beans vs. like 75 cents with those Nespresso's. So if you do drink a few cups a day you your household at 60 cents per cup savings you will pay for this in 3 months! This is one of the best values in espresso makers."

"Bought this a week ago as a replacement for my Venna Plus (my 1st superauto). This one has some nicer features that I have learned to appreciate. I use it to make cappuccino, straight coffee, steamed hot cocoa, or just hot water for tea. Use 2% milk for consistent frothing."

The best of the 5 espresso machines we've had.

Pros: overall great espresso/latte., easy to descale and clean., easy to use for both espresso and lattes., looks nice.

Cons: getting repairs can take awhile. be persistent.

Model Number: DeLonghi Magnifica ESAM 3300

"The DeLonghi Magnifica makes a great espresso and latte. It is easy to use and puts out a consistently good espresso. If you like lots of foam on your latte, leave the outer piece on the steamer. If you prefer no foam, remove the outer piece. A light comes on when it is time to descale, when your dump box needs emptying and when you are out of water. The only reason I did not give this machine 5 stars is because both of the machines we own needed repairs before the end of their two year warranty (I couldn't find any warranty information on this site here). They had to be returned to DeLonghi for the repairs and were out service for about 4-5 weeks each."

"Bottom line: I'd stick to espresso beans, filter your water (you'll also be glad to descale less frequently), and take the time to tune it right by only changing one parameter at a time and pulling at least two shots after each change--it takes a couple to equalize everything after a change. I'm pretty confident you'll get at minimum the results you're expecting from a machine at this price point.

Details:I did quite a bit of reading and video-watching of reviews before picking this machine. In the end, my interpretation was that it compared well with other machines in this range, Costco will stand behind the purchase, and it was available in-person at the Sunnyvale store.

Like most reviews I've read, 8-10 shots of running real espresso beans through it was enough to tune it to "great". Lavazza Super Crema is a fantastic bean so far, and was recommended by several. They're available from that online jungle place pretty readily.

More generally, I'd stick to espresso beans. I tried to make a go of a couple high-quality, low-oil coffee beans, and after a couple hours, could only achieve an extraction that was either horribly sour or weak as water. This is not your mother's drip coffee maker; as they said in Ghostbusters, "don't cross the streams...it would be bad."

The only non-positive I've found is the cup warmer. It's passive, and just uses radiant heat from the thermoblock. Stick to hot water from the steam wand to warm your cup, and you'll be fine. The double boiler means you don't have to wait using that technique.

The volumetric controls grind more for a double shot, which avoids running extra water through the beans to the point that you reach sour on the far side of the extraction. Tune it once, and it should work fine for both single and double."

Works great. Replaced my Nespresso

Pros: excellent machine for the price.

Cons: none

"I've been using a Nespresso machine, but I have to order the capsules online. I wanted something the can brew espresso and make lattes without having to buy capsules or proprietary cups. This is a great replacement that can brew from whole beans to ground coffee. Taste great and fast enough. I wouldn't worry about the noise. It just reminds me of orderng an espresso from a cafe. :-)"

Good sub-$500 machine

"I bought this machine in June of 2012. I have used it every single day for 7 months, drawing an average of 3 espresso shots a day. So far I'd give this machine high marks.

It's pretty easy to use. Set-up is simple, just pour the coffee beans in the container and fill the water tank. You will need to experiment with the grind and the water outflow to get the espresso you want.

A crucial point. The beans you use are key. I went through about 3 pounds of different beans before I settled on a variety of espresso bean that works well for me. It's not too oily which I've been told is important because the grinders in these super automatics can clog if the bean is too oily.

The machine will ask you to descale it often. It's a bit of a pain so I adjusted the water softness setting, so now it asks to be descaled less often.

As for the quality of the espresso, to me it's every bit as good as Starbucks, rich with nice crema that lingers in the cup after you slug down a shot. I drink it straight so I can't really comment on the steam wand as it never gets used.

As for customer support, I'd have to rate Delonghi highly. I had to call them for assistance during a descaling and they were quite helpful. By the way the customer rep told me that vinegar or lemon juice can be used to descale instead of the super expensive Durgol."

It's the flavor

Pros: everything

Cons: a little bulky

"I have had coffee from all machines. The local BMW and Benz dealers have Jura models, and every time we go in I happily get a cup (well, anything free makes me happy), start drinking it, then dump it out after 5 sips. I guess I have a short memory....JURA MACHINES DO NOT MAKE GOOD TASTING COFFEE.Even Starbucks tastes pretty boring in my opinion. This machine, on the other hand, makes wonderful tasting coffee no matter what beans (I mean reasonable beans) I use. I first tasted it in a friend's house and was like "WOW!" I got jealous of her machine but didn't think much about it since it looked too big. Then I visited my sister-in-law and was stunned she had purchased the same machine. She offered coffee that tasted just as good. This time I really have an excuse--if husband's sis can buy it, husband cannot complain "why did you buy such a big monster?"I got it a month ago and we are thoroughly enjoying it. Like another reviewer said, you can steam the milk as hot as you want, and I make it SUPER HOT just the way like it. The wand is a tiny pain to clean (it kind of screws on funny so you have to push it a certain way) but negligible. In fact, if you want to invest in one clean towel to wipe it each time, then let the steam run a little, you can probably just rinse the plastics at the end of the day."

Wonderful, Reliable, So Easy to Clean, Love it!

Pros: makes a great shot of espresso, east to create volumes of microfoam/steamy milk, enables the creation of a very hot latte!, bypass doser to brew decaf at night or as needed, extremely easy to clean, good size water resevoir, front access h2o reservoir drip tray/puck drawer, very reliable

Cons: in next model i would like a flexible steam arm

Model Number: DeLonghi ESAM3300

"I do not usually write reviews, but I am so pleased with this machine, I wanted to take the time to help others who are going through the research process to find a good machine.

I purchased the ESAM3300 in November 2011 from Costco and have been using it for over a year and it has performed flawlessly. So if anyone is looking to purchase one from Costco for a Christmas gift, I highly recommend it. When I purchased the machine, it had a manufacturers rebate of $150 at the time, so I purchased it for slightly under $400.

From the start, this machine was easy to use, easy to adjust and made great HOT latte foam and shots. I am accustomed to drinking a Starbucks extra hot, venti skinny vanilla latte and was getting frustrated at not getting it as hot as I like. After purchasing the machine, I tried many different types of syrups and still prefer the Starbucks brand sugar-free vanilla syrup, peppermint, caramel, etc. and though my husband likes his straight up without syrup, we make many types of lattes for my teens and dinner guests. The skinny peppermint mocha is my daughter's favorite.

We make from 2-6 lattes on any given weekday and at least once per week we have guests over for one reason or another and so may make 4 or 5 more. I fill the water reservoir every 2-3 days. Prior to purchasing this machine, I researched the Juras, Saeco, and DeLonghi super automatics. I love lattes and thought the feature that heats/steams the milk and delivers it into the cup would be great, but everyone had the same complaint - that the milk just was not hot enough. So while the shot was hot enough, the milk cooled off the latte - not good for me. I spoke to three of my neighbors who have Jura models purchased from Costco and though they are different models, they all have had challenges with the steam nozzle shooting off and flying across the room when they are clearing the nozzle or steaming milk. I thought it might just be user error, but it seems to be a common issue with many Jura models. I also did not like the skinny milk tube delivery system on many of the Jura models - it looks like an after thought and seems that it would be difficult to clean. The DeLonghi models with the milk steaming pitcher were my favorite until I spoke to two people who had two different DeLonghi models, the mid- end and the highest end and they agreed that the steamed milk was not hot enough when making lattes/cappucinos. So I began researching the semi-automatics which would allow me to steam the milk as hot as I like and found the best value stainless steel semi-automatic with separate grinder for the money. I was on the verge of purchasing these two items online and relegating myself to giving up the extra space for the grinder on my counter when I read reviews from others about their lifestyle and the choices they made because they preferred - "low maintenance" and began to reconsider if the 2 appliance choice was the best one for me.

In many of the video demos about semi-automatics available online, the personnel did a very enticing job of demonstrating the artistic abilities of "foam art" that was possible on the stainless steel models, which is a nice feature for entertaining, but not a priority for drinking. A great espresso shot, nice latte microfoam and HOT were my priorities which are all possible on most semi-automatics. While I was pondering all of this, I came across the DeLonghi Esam 3300 at Costco. After having looked at stainless steel, I wasn't crazy about the ABS front pictured on the box, but trusted Costco to take it back if it didn't work properly, etc. and for the very low price, (a quarter of what I was looking to spend on a good stainless steel semi-automatic and grinder) I thought I would give it a try.

I have to say I have never looked back or regretted this purchase. From the time I opened up the box, I was impressed. There is a training DVD in the packet, and the machine was very well packed. The brushed chrome finish, though ABS, was really lovely, and worked well with my stainless appliances. It has a medium footprint, compared with the very large Jura models with the same water tank capacity.

In addition to the great espresso brewing and steaming capabilities, another awesome feature of this machine is how it cleans up. LOW MAINTENANCE! It is so simple. The drip tray and puck drawer come out with a single pull from the front and with a squeeze of two fingers, the brew group slides out easily to simply rinse with water and drip dry. The water access is right in the front, so no issues with under counter heights or side access which is a problem with many machines. I don't know why all the manufacturers don't put more thought into where a machine is going to be used and design it around the spacial limitations that most kitchens present and just put the water reservoir and brew group access in the front. It is sooo convenient.

It only took me two small tweaks of the grinder setting to get the grind just right. I still love Starbucks beans and have the shot water level set to the 9 o'clock position and the grind strength knob set to 4 o'clock, so fairly strong. I have tried Illy espresso beans, water processed decaffeinated espresso beans for late night lattes, Peet espresso beans, Fair Trade espresso beans and several other forms of ground espresso to use in the bypass doser. I still prefer the Starbucks espresso and so use the ground espresso in the bypass doser when decaf beans are in the hopper. When used at these settings, it just has a full rich taste in a latte without the bitterness of some brands.

We use large 16 ounce low profile latte cups similar to those we used to get when having breakfast in Italy. I fill them halfway with skim milk, and use the latte spoon to scoop half the foam off as I steam, as I prefer less. My daughter loves as much foam as possible, covered in cocoa sugar. When I steam mine, I put my finger over the air hole at the back of the nozzle, when the foam reaches the top of the cup, so it just continues to increase milk temperature and not make any more foam. We then use the double shot button for this size cup, add the syrup and top it off with Chef's Select Cocoa Sugar or Belagioso Caramel Praline powder. For an egg nog latte made with diluted egg nog, we top it lightly with nutmeg. We found some Belagioso Peppermint Truffle cocoa powder recently which we are using on top of the Peppermint Mocha lattes. My husband prefers Cafe Americano, so we use the bypass doser for him to drop a scoop of his favorite ground roast in, brew a single shot and then use our instant hot dispenser to fill a 10 ounce mug the rest of the way with hot water. The machine also delivers instant hot water for Cafe Americano's or tea, though more slowly than our instant hot water faucet. Remember not to put the scoop of coffee into the bypass doser until the brew group stops moving on the inside. You will hear it stop. I got over zealous once and ignored what the machine was doing and dumped the scoop before the brew group had reset itself and I ended up with a scoop of coffee inside the machine. No worries, I just opened it up, took everything out and brushed the excess coffee out onto a paper towel.

I invested in latte tools - a wide spoon long handled stirrer, shot and steaming pitchers but I find that for me, since I prefer HOT, I steam the milk into the cup directly as it heats the cup to a very high temperature which helps maintain the final temperature of the latte for me. I found that pouring both the shot and the milk from their pitchers into a pre-warmed cup reduced the overall temperature by 10-15 degrees. The cup warmer is a nice option if you do not like super hot lattes. It is possible to create latte art with this machine if your heart is set on it. You just have to watch a few semi-automatic demos and use a latte art pitcher and brew the shot first into the cup. We have come up with some creative designs.

I have cleaned it 4 times in the last year using the DeLonghi cleaning fluid provided with the machine. The cleaning solution is available online from several sellers. It has an automatic prompting process when it's time to decalcify. You just have to fill the water reservoir with solution and put a large measuring cup underneath the steamer spout and the hot solution runs out in timed intervals. You do not have to attend this process, only pour out the used solution and fill the reservoir with clean water when it blinks and the machine will automatically run through a cycle to rinse the insides. Refill the reservoir and you're good to go.

The instructions are good and in English. I did use the DeLonghi customer service line one time to ask about the settings to make a good shot with the bypass doser, but the rep was not able to give me that information, so I figured it out by trial and error.

Incredible, especially for the price

"I've owned a number of super automatic espresso machines over the past 10 years. From Saeco, Gaggia, Jura... all things considered, this is the best machine I've had so far.

DeLonghi did an excellent job of prioritizing the features to put into this machine (and the ones to leave out) to get to this price point. You won't find the latest "one touch" features, but those are all the things that ended up being the death of my previous machines.

The espresso is really excellent. Within the first four or five shots and some small tweaks to grind and intensity I was pulling perfect shots.

The bean hopper and the water container are both larger than machines of similar size. The puck catcher holds 12 pucks and the water container holds 60 ounces. This machine has a pretty small footprint considering the features.

Some may see the lack of digital controls a downside, but these controls are so logically placed and labeled and they do what they're supposed to do. I can do without another flashing blue screen in my life to save the several hundred dollars that they add.

The attention to detail like the bypass doser being on the top with the right-sized scoop stored under the flap is really exceptional. Also, this is the first machine I've owned where the cup warmer actually gets warm. Quiet warm, quite quickly even. If you're into that, it's a pretty rare feature in my experience.

There are some things that could be better. On many machines the "double coffee" button causes the machine to actually brew two separate shots (two separate grinds). That's not the case with this machine. The double coffee button just doubles the water pushed through a single grind. Since you can easily adjust the amount of water for each shot, that seems like an odd function for that button. But it's easy enough to poke the single button a second time to get my double shot espresso.

Yes, as reviews on other sites confirm, it's noisy. Not the noisiest I've owned (that was definitely the Gaggia which could drown out traffic). It also does a lot of self cleaning which can be annoying, but in the long run keeps the machine clean and running properly so there's no reason to complain about it pushing a bit of hot water through it's pipes each time you turn it on (and off, actually -- it's pretty well groomed).

On the nerdy side, I'm very impressed with the design of the brew group on this machine. All the other models I've owned have had basically a different style brew group that loaded from the side and was tall with a lot of moving parts that are liberally greased, hard to clean and have generally been the part that finally failed. The DeLonghi machine has a compact little brew group that is conveniently accessed from the front of the machine and is much easier to clean with less moving parts. Let's hope that means a longer life too.

Especially given Costco's amazing price on this machine, I just couldn't be happier."